Shank piece for shoes



3. Ross. SHANK PIECE FOR SHOES. APPLICATION FILED AUG.12, i921.

1,4;3,l9. Patented Sept-26, 1922.,

gmvmbez A?) un ammo. 1 19 5 h kxi? flbtom Patented Sept. 26, 1222.

BENJAMIN ROSS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SHANK PIECE FOR SHOES.

Application filed August 12, 1921. Serial No. 491,726.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN Ross, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState of New York, having invented certain new and useful Improvementsin a Shank Piece for Shoes. of which the following is a full, clear, andexact specification.

This invention relates to a class of devices adapted to be used inconjunction with footwear.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a device or shankpiece designed to be employed in the shoe or boot of a person forstiffening the shank of the shoe as well as serving to support the archof the foot of the wearer in a manner so that when under pressure thedevice will yield lengthwise as well as being capable of movingcrosswise of the shoe, in order. to afford comfort to the wearer whenstanding or walking. This is accomplished mainly by providin a bearingplate and a curved yielding strip Timing one of its ends pivoted to thebearing plate so that when the plate and strip are secured on the shankof the sole interiorly of the shoe the pivoted part of the strip mayslidably move lengthwise and also move crosswise of the shoe when underpressure, in order that the arch of the foot of the wearer may becushioned against downward as well as against lateral strain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shank piece of asimple, efiicient and durable construction which may be made in anyappropriate size of suitable material.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinaftermore fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing forminga part of this specification in which similar-characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointedout in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawing; Figure 1 is a top plan of one form of shank pieceembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shank piece, and

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken through a shoe with the deviceapplied thereto, the latter also being shown in section.

The device or shank piece has a bearing member or plate 10 and ayielding strip member 11. The bearing plate 10 may be of any suitableform. though the plate shown is substantially rectangular in shape. Thisbearing plate may be bent transversely in a downward directionintermediate of its ends to provide-a flat portion, as 12, in the'center of which may be one or more holes 13, and the other end portionof the plate is curved somewhat upwardly, as at 14. in a convexed orinverted concaved fashion so that this curved part is on a slightlyhigher longitudinal plane than the plane of the flat end portion 12 ofthe plate. The downwardly bent part of the plate provides a shoulder orstop 14, while the intersection of the lower part of this shoulder withthe concaved part 14 provides a transverse groove 14. When the device isapplied interiorly of a shoe, as 15, or other type of footwear thebearing plate 10 is fastened by a nail or bolt 16 which is driventhrough the hole 13 of the plate so that the curved or convexed part14'of the plate protrudes toward the shank, as 17, of the shoe. )Thefree end of this curved part may then bear upon the heel or rear part ofthe shank of the shoe or may be slightly spaced from the heel, in orderto yield somewhat when under pressure. p

The strip 11 is preferably made of spring metal, and this strip has aflat right-angled end portion, as 18, of a width similar to the width ofcurved part 14 of the bearing plate 10. The other end portion may beslightly curved in a lateral direction, as at 19, while this curvedportion 19 may terminate with a somewhat tapered free end, as 20. Thisstrip is curved lengthwise in a slightly inverted concaved form, whileon the edge part of the strip opposite to the central portion of itslateral curved edge may be a downwardly disposed concaved part, orsocket, as 21.

The right-angled portion 18 of the yielding strip 11 is movably disposedon the central part of the convexed'protrudingportion 14 of the plate 10so that the strip has a free bearing surface, and in the portion 18 ofthe strip is a slot 22 arranged lengthwise of the strip. Theyielding'strip 11 is pivoted to the'free end portion of the concavedpart 14 of the bearing plate 10 by a bolt or pin, as 23, which has ahead of greater diameter than the width of the slot 22 of the strip 11,while the shank of the bolt is of a size to allow the slotted end of thestrip 11 to freely move lengthwise back and forth on the bearing platetoward and from the stop let and into and out of the groove 14" as wellas permitting a pivotal movement crosswise of the bearing plate. Thestrip 11 is of a length so that when applied in the shoe its tapered endpart 20 will bear upon the sole of the shoe at the intersection of theshank 17 with the forward part of the sole so that the strip will spanthe shank part of the sole, and so that the slotted end of the stripwill be spaced from for being movable into and out the stop 14 ofthegroove 14: The strip is fastened to the shoe by drivin a nail or bolt24-through a hole 25 provided in the tapered end portion 20 of thestrip. The concaved part or socket 21 is positioned for serving .tosupport the metatarsal bone of the foot. In practice the slotted end ofthe strip 11 will yield sufiiciently in upward and downward directionunder the pressure of the wearer of the shoe, and by providing for thepivotal sidewise movement of the strip the wearer will be afforded easeand comfort by the use of the device. Moreover, by providing the groove14* in the bearing plate 10 the slotted end 18 of the strip will beadapted to freely move without tending to cut or damage the insole, as26, of the shoe.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of myinvention,

but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I amaware that modifications may be made therein without departin from theprinciple or sacrificing any 0 the advantages of this invention,therefore, I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairlyfall within the scope thereof.

"Having thus described claim as new and desire Patent 1. A shank piecefor shoes, comprising a bearing plateadapted to be secured upon the heelportion interiorly of the shoe and my invention, I to secure by Lettershaving a part to protrude toward the shank of the .shoe, a convexlycurved yielding strip having one of its ends slidably pivoted to theprotruding part of the bearing plate and its other end adapted to beheld to the shank of the shoe to allow the pivoted end of the strip toslidably move lengthwise and move crosswise on top of the bearing plate,and the second end part of the strip having a laterally extendingconcaved portion.

2. A shank piece for shoes, comprising a bearing plate adapted to besecured upon the heel portion interiorly of the shoe and having aninverted concaved part to protrude toward the shank of the shoe, and aconvexly curved yielding strip having a slotted end pivoted to thecentral part of the convexity of the protruding part of the bearingplate to allow the pivoted end of the strip to slidably move lengthwiseand move crosswise on top of the concaved part of the bearing plate, thesecond end of said strip being adapted to extend over the shank of theshoe-as well as being adapted to be pivotally held to the sole of theshoe and the second end having a laterally extending concaved portion.

3. A shank piece as characterized, comprising a'bearing plate having afiat end portion and having an inverted concaved end portion wherebyatransverse groove is provided in the plate between said end portions,and a convexly curved yielding strip having a slotted end pivoted to thefree end part of the inverted concaved end portion of the bearing platefor allowing the slotted end of the strip to move inwardly and outwardlyof the groove of the bearing plate.

4. A shank piece as characterized, comprising a bearing plate with astop intermediate its ends and one end of the plate having an opening,and a convexly curved yielding striphaving a slotted end pivoted to theother end of the plate to allow of being moved under pressure toward andfrom the stop of said plate.

5. A shank piece as characterized, comprising a bearing plate with atransverse groove intermediate its ends and one end of the plate havingan opening, and a convexly curved yielding strip having a slotted endpivoted to the other end of the plate to allow of being moved underpressure inwardly and outwardly of the groove of said plate.

6. A shank piece as characterized, comprising a bearing plate with astop and an adjacent transverse groove intermediate its ends and one endof the plate having an opening, and a convexly curved yielding striphaving a slotted end pivoted to the other end of the plate to allow ofbeing moved under pressure toward and from the stop and inwardly andoutwardly of the groove of said plate.

This specification signed and witnessed this 11th day of August A. D.1921.

- BENJAMIN ROSS.

Witnesses:

- R. SCHAOHNER,

J. FREDERICK CRYER.

